


mirror mirror

by mochiwrites



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Violence, Canon-Typical Violence, Case Fic, F/M, Fluff, He Gets a Hug, He gets many in fact, Hurt Lucy Heartfilia, Love Confessions, Lucy Heartfilia-centric, Major Character Injury, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Natsu Dragneel Needs a Hug, Post-Alvarez Teikoku | Alvarez Empire Arc, Pre-Fairy Tail: 100 Year Quest Chapter 01, Protective Natsu Dragneel, Smart Lucy Heartfilia, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:08:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28419660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mochiwrites/pseuds/mochiwrites
Summary: And just as their lips are about to meet, Natsu catches a whiff of Lucy’s scent. He grabs her by the shoulders before pushing her back. Lucy looks at him with surprise, mouth open. “Natsu?” She asks quietly.Natsu simply glares at her, “You aren’t Lucy.”
Relationships: Gray Fullbuster & Lucy Heartfilia, Happy & Lucy Heartfilia, Lucy Heartfilia & Erza Scarlet, Lucy Heartfilia & Wendy Marvell, Natsu Dragneel & Gray Fullbuster & Lucy Heartfilia & Erza Scarlet, Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia
Comments: 13
Kudos: 140





	1. I

The doors to the guildhall are kicked open with a loud cry of, “Lucyyyy!” Had this not been a normal occurrence, the guild probably would’ve fallen silent. 

However everyone is more than used to one of their resident dragon slayer’s callings for his blonde haired partner. 

Said partner simply sighs at her spot at the bar, hearing Mirajane quietly giggle behind her hand. Lucy pays no mind to Mira’s giggles, instead turning her attention to the figures standing in the doorway. “Good morning to you too, Natsu.” She greets. 

Natsu grins at her as he walks over, Happy not too far behind. “Let’s go on a job!” He exclaims joyfully, excited as usual. 

At his exclamation, Lucy perks up, “A job?” She parrots. 

“Aye! We haven’t taken one in a while, so Natsu and I thought we should!” Happy chimes in, standing on the counter in front of her. 

“Yeah, yeah! So let’s go on one!” Natsu exclaims once again, his eyes burning with excitement. 

Lucy hums in contemplation. The last job they had taken was two weeks ago, and rent is due soon. She’s pretty sure she still has enough money for rent, but a little extra never hurt anyone. With this in mind, she meets Natsu’s bright grin with a smile of her own, “Sounds good to me!” 

“Yes!” Natsu cheers before grabbing her hand and dragging her over to the request board. Lucy yelps in surprise as she’s dragged, and nearly manages to avoid stumbling. “We picked the job last time, so you pick!” He tells her as he lets go of her hand. 

Stabilizing herself once Natsu lets go, she hums and scans the board in front of her. Her eyes drift over the pages, searching for something that catches her eye. 

“Oh? I didn’t realize we were taking a new mission.” Erza’s voice sounds right by Lucy’s ear, making her yelp in surprise. 

Natsu, completely unbothered by Erza’s sudden appearance, grins. “Lucy’s lookin’ for one!” 

“Lucy’s picking a job? Good, I was getting tired of Ash for Brains picking them.” Gray comments, making his appearance known. 

Lucy sees Wendy approach with a nervous laugh, “Natsu-san’s picks aren’t always bad…” 

Natsu immediately whirls on Gray, itching to pick a fight as always. “What was that Icy?!” 

Gray takes the bait as always, “I said the jobs you pick are always crappy!”

“Like yours are any better!” Natsu retorts and Lucy sighs as the two wizards clunk foreheads, getting into a fight. She turns her attention back to the request board as Erza breaks up their fight before it can get out of hand. 

Lucy’s eyes scan the numerous requests in front of her before they land on one that’s particularly interesting. She reaches for it and takes the paper. As she skims it, she thoughtfully hums, catching the attention of the youngest of their team. Wendy looks over at her curiously, “Did you find one, Lucy-san?” 

In response, Lucy tilts the paper toward her and Carla, who’s resting in her arms. “It looks like a job about a cursed lake. People are mysteriously vanishing after visiting the lake, and the mayor needs a group of mages to get rid of the curse.” She explains. “I know it’s not our team’s usual job but…” 

“Nonsense, it sounds like this village could certainly use our help.” Erza says, having successfully stopped Natsu and Gray from fighting. 

Lucy turns to her with a smile. She then feels an arm come to drape across her shoulders and her heart leaps as she feels a familiar warmth behind her. “Not bad, Luce!” Natsu exclaims as he reads the paper in her hands. “I’m getting fired up now!” 

Lucy simply giggles at his enthusiasm and heads over to Mirajane to let her know about the job. Once that’s done, she heads back to her team. 

Now that they’ve got a goal to work towards, Erza is quick to give them orders, “It sounds like these people are in urgent need of help, so no dilly dallying! Everyone, go pack your bags and meet me at Magnolia Station in twenty!” Already used to the routine before the mission, everyone splits off to their respective homes to gather their things. 

Wendy is the last to leave, having been distracted by Carla’s sudden quietness. “Is something wrong, Carla?” She asks, looking down at the Exceed in her arms. 

Carla’s mouth tugs down, forming a line, “I’m not sure but… I have a bad feeling about this job.” 

* * *

Lucy can’t help but wince at the sound of Natsu’s groans on the train ride. At this point it’s a typical routine for the team, and for the first ten minutes or so she tries to ignore it. However, that becomes a bit difficult when Natsu is seated right next to her, slumped against the chair. 

She glances over to Wendy, seeing that she isn’t faring any better. Erza has the young dragon slayer’s head in her lap, and Lucy is relieved to see that Erza _hasn’t_ knocked the girl unconscious like she normally does to Natsu. 

Speaking of Natsu, he’s still groaning and grumbling in discomfort. 

She can’t help but frown at the sight and sigh softly. “Come here, Natsu.” She says to him before gently maneuvering him to rest his head in her lap. Natsu responds with a quiet groan. She can feel Erza and Gray’s eyes on her, but she does her best to ignore them. Keeping her eyes on the suffering Salamander in her lap, she begins to gently run her hands through his hair, lightly massaging his scalp. 

It seems to ease his discomfort slightly, and Lucy keeps it up for the entire train ride. 

When the train finally pulls into the station, Natsu is suddenly leaping from her lap, energized once again. Lucy yelps as he nearly hits his forehead against hers. “We finally stopped moving!” He cheers as Wendy sits up, and as soon as she realizes the train is no longer moving, she cheers along with him. 

“Oi, Flame Brain! Get a move on or else you’re gonna be left on the train again!” Gray exclaims, already walking to get off the train. 

“Oh you’re asking for it now, Popsicle! Let’s go Happy!” Natsu retorts, practically running after him, the little blue cat following after him with a cry of “aye sir!”. Lucy and Wendy share a look as the two boys run off the train, taking advantage of the fact that Erza is busy with gathering her luggage. 

“Those boys will never learn.” Carla comments, her voice full of disapproval as she shakes her head. Wendy can only nervously laugh. 

As the girls make their way off of the train, Lucy mutters, “Let’s just hope that they keep that energy up for this job.” 

They meet up with Gray and Natsu just in time to see Erza make an appearance before them. With the requip mage’s sudden presence, Natsu and Gray put on their buddy buddy act, only shooting one another glares every time Erza looks away. 

Lucy can only sigh at their childishness. 

* * *

After meeting with the client, the group decides to head to the lake to investigate. The client had urged them to be incredibly careful and to avoid getting too close to the lake. He had given them a map to the lake along with the warning, hoping for both their safe return and possible solution. 

Lucy shivers as she remembers the terrified look on the man’s face. 

Noticing her shiver, Happy looks over at her, “What’s wrong Lucy, you cold?” He asks, catching Natsu’s attention. 

“I can warm ya up if you want.” The dragon slayer offers, cheerfully. 

“Uh, no thanks. I’d like for my clothes to stay intact.” Lucy replies blandly. She fell for that once on a previous job, and Natsu, not knowing when to hold back, had burned away her clothes in an attempt to warm her up. She definitely wasn’t going to make _that_ mistake again. 

Natsu pouts at her response, “It was one time, Luce.” He whines. 

Lucy looks at him with a glare, “It was more than once! Do you know how many shirts I’ve lost because you go overboard?!” She snaps. 

Happy snickers, “It’s kinda funny though, how you fall for it.”

Eyebrow twitching, Lucy grumbles, “Shut it, cat!” She hears Gray chuckle at her predicament and she sticks her tongue out at him in response. She then glances at Natsu and finds him pouting still, making her sigh. “I’m just… a little creeped out by this job request. I mean, people disappearing after going to this lake? A _cursed_ lake? Talk about creepy! And did you see how spooked our client was?” 

Deciding to add her input, Erza nods. “I have to admit I have a few of my own concerns. We can’t afford to be lallygagging and playing around.” She says, glancing over at Natsu and Gray specifically. The two boys tense and sweat under her stare. “We need to be incredibly serious about this! We don’t know what consequences will befall us if we fool around.” 

“Yes, it would be bad if something happened because three of you decide to act like fools,” Carla adds on, casting a glance at the boys and Happy. 

“Right.” Lucy and Wendy hum in agreement. 

“A-Aye…” Natsu, Gray, and Happy stammer, sweating buckets already. 

“Now that that’s out of the way, the client said the lake should be around here somewhere…” Erza hums, beginning to take a look around. She then glances over Wendy’s shoulder, who’s in possession of the map given to them. 

“I think we’re on the right path, but I don’t see anything yet.” The young dragon slayer sighs. 

Lucy looks around a bit herself, trying to spot something. All she can see are trees though, and she’s pretty sure the trees just continue for miles and miles. As Lucy glances around in an attempt to see past the forest, she sees both Natsu and Wendy freeze before starting to sniff the air. “Do you guys smell something?” She asks, curious. 

Wendy nods as she lowers the map in her hands, “There’s an odd scent in the air.” 

“Smells kinda funky.” Natsu adds on, continuing to sniff the air. He turns on his heel, “It’s coming from that direction!” He exclaims before taking off. 

“Natsu, wait!” Erza shouts after him, but he’s already running into the bushes. 

Lucy sighs, “There he goes again.” 

“That idiot will never learn.” Gray comments before following him. 

“He wouldn’t be Natsu if he did.” Happy says cheerfully. 

Erza turns to the group, “Quickly, let’s follow him!” Lucy and the others nod before breaking out into a run. Wendy leads the group since she can not only smell Natsu, but she can also pick up on the weird scent that was mentioned before. 

When they catch up with Natsu, they find him standing in a clearing surrounded by trees. There’s a light mist floating around, but it’s thin enough that Lucy can see through it. “What is this place…” She wonders as she takes a step. Her eyes finally land on the large body of water in front of her and her eyes widen. “The lake!” She exclaims, “We found it!” 

“Let’s begin searching then.” Erza says, causing everyone to nod. They each start investigating the area, trying to find any abnormalities. Natsu seems to be sniffing around while Gray and Erza inspect the trees. Wendy glances over at the lake a few times, but sticks to looking at the ground for any markings. 

Lucy walks over to the lake, being mindful to avoid getting too close to it. She glances around at the nearby trees, wondering if there’s some sort of enchantment in the area. She narrows her eyes in thought, humming quietly. Happy, who’s the closest to her, looks at her, “What’s up, Lucy?”

“I thought it might’ve been possible that someone may have used some sort of spell or enchantment on the lake, but I’m not picking up on any sort of magic.” She explains, crossing her arms. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say that this is just a regular lake.” 

“Yes, it’s quite strange.” Erza jumps in, placing a hand on her chin. “I haven’t sensed anyone nearby either.” 

“So basically we’ve got nothing to go off of?” Gray asks, sighing. 

Lucy glances over at him, noticing the mage in nothing but his boxers. She sighs, not even fazed by it anymore, “Gray, your clothes.” 

“Oh, crap!” Natsu snickers at him but shuts up as soon as Erza glares at him. 

Turning her attention back to the lake, Lucy frowns. There’s something weird going on here, that’s for sure. “Gah, come on! I’m so bored!” Natsu suddenly exclaims, flopping backwards onto the ground. 

“Well too bad. We have to search if we want to figure out what’s going on, now get up and help us!” Erza exclaims, making Natsu groan. 

“But we haven’t found anything! Wouldn’t it be better to search some other place or something?” Natsu argues, picking his head up to stare at the requip mage. 

Lucy decides to jump in before the two can argue any more, “Natsu does have a point, Erza. It might be a good idea if we all split up and search somewhere else.” She points out gently. “Why don’t you guys ask around town while I stay here and try to figure out what’s going on?” Lucy suggests. 

Natsu sits up, “Are you sure that’s a good idea Lucy?” He asks. As always, Natsu is an open book to her, for she can already see the concern on his face. 

Lucy smiles at him to ease his worries, “Of course! We’ll just be wasting time if all of us are here trying to figure out this lake. It’s better to spread out and get more information from the townspeople.” 

Erza crosses her arms, nodding along. “You raise a fair point.” She hums. “Alright then, Lucy will stay here while the rest of us split up and investigate. Gray, Wendy, I want you two to investigate the west side of town. Natsu, you and I will investigate the east.” She directs, and Lucy tries to quiet her giggles at Natsu’s pout. 

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Gray agrees while Wendy nods in agreement. 

“Good. We’ll all meet back up at the hotel in five hours, got it?” Erza says, causing everyone to nod. “Let’s get moving then. Come on, Natsu.” 

“Aye…” Said dragon slayer sighs, pushing himself up. 

“I’ll let you guys know if I find anything!” Lucy calls as they walk off. Nodding to herself, she turns back to face the lake. “Okay! I can do this!” She encourages herself. 

Before doing anything, Lucy does a second sweep of the area. She figures it’s a good idea to get another look at the lake to double check that she hasn’t missed anything. “It’s definitely a lot easier now that the others are gone.” She can’t help muttering with a tired sigh. 

Once more, she tries feeling for any magical energy but comes up empty handed. 

She thoroughly checks through the grass and tree trunks, making sure she leaves no area unchecked. After spending a good while checking the lake, Lucy draws the same conclusion as before. There’s nothing strange on the surface. 

“I’m still not finding anything, what’s going on?!” She exclamations in frustration. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Lucy approaches the lake. She squats down and without getting too close, leans over the edge. She stares down at the calm waters, murmuring “Lake of Reflections, huh? Just what is going on here?” 

After staring at the lake for a bit longer and receiving no answer, Lucy pushes herself up. “Well, might as well try to meet up with the others. I can always help ask the townspeople about what’s been going on.” She says to herself, turning her back to the lake. A sudden thought strikes her as she puts a finger to her cheek in thought, “I wonder if there’s a library we could check out. There’s bound to be _some_ sort of information there.” 

Nodding to herself, she smiles. “A little reading never hurt anyone~.” She hums, giggling as she imagines Natsu’s complaining. She can already picture it perfectly. 

Just as she’s about to start to walk away, she feels something grab her by the waist. 

Lucy lets out a sharp cry, jumping. “What the?!” She looks down and sees a hand gripping her, and she’s startled to realize that it’s a hand made of water. She glances behind her to see the hand sprouting from the lake behind her. 

“Oh no you don’t!” She cries, reaching for her keys. Just as she grabs Loke’s key, another water hand wraps around her arm, traveling down to her fingers that hold the key, stopping her. Lucy’s eyes widen in horror before narrowing in determination. “Fine then, guess I’ll just have to use a star dress!” 

With a flash of light she transforms into Aquarius’ Star Dress, and frees herself from the lake’s clutches. “With this form I can control the water!” She exclaims, pleased as she lands in a crouch back on the ground. 

The lake, seeming angry with her fighting, creates more water hands, sending them all toward her. Lucy summons her magic, fighting back against the water. Throwing her arms out in front of her, she pulls the water to the side, avoiding the attack. 

More hands sprout from the water, but Lucy easily deflects them, either using her magic to avoid the attack or jumping out of the way. 

Before she can even blink, a large storm of water is heading straight for her. Wasting no time, Lucy summons her magic, creating a barrier of water. The hands easily disperse into the wall of water, and to retaliate against the attack, she thrusts both her arms out with a cry of, “Aqua Metria!” 

The magical waves from her attack mix with the hands of water, forcing them back. She pushes them right back into the large lake of water until there’s no more. 

As soon as she sees the hands recede back into the lake, she grins. “Take that, you creepy water hands!” She shouts victoriously. She releases the star dress and turns around, “I’ve gotta hurry and find the others. They have to know what happened just now!” She goes to run, but the sound of water makes her stop. 

Lucy turns around sharply, eyes widening at the moving water over the lake. It forms a sphere of rushing waves and it looks uncontrollable. “What the?” She gasps. 

The sphere opens and reveals a woman inside. She wears a sky blue kimono that hangs off her shoulders, a fan in her hand. Her silver hair falls around her in gentle waves, golden eyes crinkled by her smile. As she focuses on Lucy with an analytical gaze, she hums, “So you’re the one giving my little ones so much trouble, hm?” 

Lucy immediately takes a defensive stance, narrowing her eyes. “I take it you’re the one controlling this lake.” She says, and the woman smiles. 

“Allow me to introduce myself, I’m the water spirit, Marina. I've taken quite a liking to this lake, as well as my little ones.” She responds. 

Lucy frowns at her response, trying to formulate some sort of plan. The others are all in town, so it’s up to her and her spirits to deal with this. “Tell me, are you the one behind the disappearances of the townspeople?!” Lucy demands, taking a step forward. 

The spirit chuckles, “It seems I’ve been caught red handed.” She says. “You humans just make it too easy, you know. It’s been quite entertaining.” 

“Entertaining?! These are people’s lives we’re talking about here!” Lucy exclaims. 

“Oh? What does that have to do with me?” Marina hums, raising a brow. 

“You’re the one who kidnapped them! Let them go!” Lucy orders, pointing at her. 

The water spirit laughs, unbothered by Lucy’s exclamations. “And what will you do if I don’t?” She questions, looking at the mage curiously. 

“I’ll make you!” Lucy declares. 

Without wasting a single second, Lucy acts. She summons Cancer’s Star Dress and takes off. A blade in each hand, she aims an attack of her blades at Marina, but a wall of water blocks her before her attack can land. 

Attempting to avoid being hit by a possible counter attack, Lucy leaps back towards the ground. She keeps her eyes on the spirit. 

“So you’re a mage, hm? Interesting…” Marina notices, a sly smile appearing on her face. “I like you, Blondie. I hope you’ll provide me with nice entertainment~.” She purrs. 

Narrowing her eyes, Lucy tries to come up with some sort of strategy. _‘I can’t risk getting too close to her or else she might be able to immobilize me. I’m going to have to use long range attacks if I want to defeat her.’_ She briefly considers using her Aquarius dress again, but she isn’t entirely sure how much help it’d be. 

This water spirit is powerful, Lucy can tell. How Marina managed to hide her power like that is beyond her, but Lucy has to be careful. 

Before she can continue her thoughts, a wave crashes over her. With a yell, she’s slammed into a tree. “Don’t you know you should always pay attention in a fight?” She hears the spirit taunt. 

Ignoring the severe pain in her back, Lucy stands. Summoning Taurus’ dress, she cracks her whip against the ground in an attempt to reach the water spirit. The whip wraps around Marina’s waist, and with two hands, Lucy throws her into a nearby cluster of trees. “I am paying attention!” She can’t help but snap. 

Chuckles sound from the spot the spirit had just been thrown at. Lucy stares as the kicked up dust clears, seeing Marina standing from the trees. “Yes, very impressive.” She hums before raising a hand. 

Water is hitting her before she’s even aware of what’s going on. Lucy gasps as she finds herself trapped in some sort of water bubble. It almost reminds her of Juvia’s Water Lock spell, but more vicious. 

She can feel herself losing air. 

As she tries to fight for oxygen, her eyes involuntarily shut. Struggling to breathe, Lucy forces herself to move. One of her eyes open and she spots a nearby tree. It’s close enough that if she can just… 

Trying to act as quickly as possible, Lucy ignores the black dots clouding her vision as she lifts her arm. She flicks her wrist and her whip moves out of the water space, wrapping around the trunk of the tree. 

Squeezing her eyes shut, Lucy wills herself to move. Using the tree as an anchor, she grabs her whip with both hands and pulls herself forward. 

She isn’t quite sure how she does it, but she escapes. As soon as she’s free, Lucy hits the ground, coughing harshly. Marina watches her, intrigued. 

As soon as she can properly breathe again, Lucy jumps up and glares at the water spirit. “My, I didn’t think you’d be able to escape that! Quite intriguing!” 

“It definitely wasn’t easy.” Lucy grumbles in response, trying to determine her next move. She switches her Star Dress again, opting for Sagittarius’ form instead. As the bow appears in her hands, Lucy is already aiming her attack. She fires a few shots of her arrows, but Marina flicks her fan, opening it as she does so. 

Her arrows are blocked by a barrier of water. 

As Lucy grits her teeth, she hears the spirit hum, “I’ve never seen magic such as yours before. Tell me, what is it?” 

Lucy keeps her bow raised and she looks at Marina with suspicion. “Celestial Spirit magic.” She says, never once looking away. 

“ _Hoooh_?” A smile spreads across the water spirit’s face as she moves her fan to cover it. “Very interesting indeed. Why not—” She’s cut off as arrows whiz right past her. 

Lucy’s attack cuts right through the spirit’s fan, cutting her cheek. Marina freezes, raising a hand to the cut, eyes widening. “Don’t you know to never get distracted during a fight?” Lucy taunts as she remains tense, waiting for the spirit’s next attack. 

“You…” The spirit mutters, bangs covering her face. When she raises her head, an angry scowl mares her features. “Now you’ve gone and made me quite angry!” She shouts, flicking her hand. 

Before she can counter it, two huge waves of water come crashing down on her, making Lucy cry out. She moves through the current, but doesn’t get very far. Marina appears in front of her, hitting her with another wave of water, which sends her right into the lake. 

Lucy barely has time to recover. She pushes herself up, trying to escape the lake and ready her counter attack. Marina is faster however, and appears in front of her a second time. Lucy gasps. “Now then, enough games.” The spirit says, glaring at Lucy before grabbing her shoulders and pushing her into the lake. 

“No!” Lucy cries, squirming as much as she possibly can to escape. However in terms of raw strength, Lucy is easily overpowered. She feels herself start to sink into the water, and it sends her into a panic. The hands from before come up to wrap around her middle, and they’re tight. 

But they don’t stop there. 

The hands wrap around her legs and arms, successfully trapping her. Lucy cries out as her head is forced under water, the woman simply grinning cruelly at her as she goes under. She thrashes wildly, refusing to be taken without a fight. 

Her breath is caught in her throat, however, and without meaning to, Lucy gasps for air. She raises a hand for help, but that only causes more water arms to wrap around her and pull her down. _‘No! Not like this!’_

Black dots start to paint her vision, and Lucy can’t breathe. With the lack of oxygen, her body starts to go limp and her outstretched arm falters. Her eyes start to close against her will as she tries to clutch onto consciousness. 

She sinks. 

_‘Na… tsu…’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wooo first fic of 2021!! kajdkfjdkf okay so I’ll admit— this fic definitely ran away from me. I’ve had this plot bunny for forever and I was finally able to write enough to post the first chapter. this was definitely a bigger piece than my previous ones, and my first time truly writing everyone besides natsu and lucy. if anyone is ooc I’m sorry ;;; 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter, I'll have the next one posted next friday!! please feel free to drop a kudos or comment <3 thank you for reading!
> 
> catch me on twitter & tumblr @dreamsofmochi


	2. II

“Settle down, Natsu. I’m sure Lucy is just fine.” Erza places a hand on his shoulder, trying to still Natsu’s fidgeting. 

“Yeah, but we’ve been here for a while now and she still hasn’t shown up!” The dragon slayer exclaims, looking ready to speed off to the lake. “We gotta at least check up on her!” 

“Geez man, what’s with you all of the sudden? Aren’t you always the first to say that Lucy will be fine or whatever?” Gray interjects, staring at Natsu with his arms crossed over his chest. 

A retort rests on the tip of Natsu’s tongue, but the flashing images of Lucy’s bloodied face and the future Lucy’s lifeless body make him pause. He clenches his fists and glares at the ground. It’s not like he doubts Lucy’s capabilities, he knows she’s strong. He’s fully aware that she can kick some major ass. But he hates leaving her on her own. He doesn’t like being separated from her for long periods of time. 

Just as he goes to say something, the door to their room swings open and in walks the very person occupying his thoughts. 

Lucy. 

Everyone looks at the door as the mage enters. “Lucy-san!” Wendy exclaims, looking relieved. 

Lucy looks over at her with a smile as Erza walks over to her. “You’re a bit late, Lucy. Did something happen?” She inquires. 

Natsu stares at Lucy, watching as she winces. “Sorry about that, Erza. I got so invested in searching the lake that I kind of lost track of time.” She explains with a flustered chuckle. Her expression then darkens slightly, “I didn’t find anything though, I’m sorry.” 

Erza nods, crossing her arms. “It’s alright. Our search wasn’t entirely helpful either, everything we were told by the townspeople were all things we’re already aware of.” She explains. 

Still staring at Lucy, Natsu catches a whiff of her scent as she turns toward him. He sniffs the air, eyebrows furrowing. Without realizing, he starts to move closer to her until he’s practically sniffing her neck. 

“N-Natsu?!” Lucy cries, cheeks turning red. 

Breaking out of his concentration, he realizes what he’s doing. But he doesn’t move, he just continues to sniff. “Your scent is weird, Lucy.” He tells her. 

“O-Oh that? On my way back here one of the street vendors sprayed this perfume on me while I was walking by…” Lucy stammers out a response, which only makes Natsu frown in response. “A-Anyways, _pleasestepback_!” She exclaims, pressing on him to push him away. 

Blinking at the lack of her usual ‘Lucy Kick’, Natsu shrugs and steps away from her. 

“What the hell was that, you perverted pyro?” Gray asks, stealing Natsu’s attention away. 

“There was nothin’ perverted about it, Lucy smelled weird, stupid ice box!” Natsu shouts in response. The two boys stomp right over to each other, slamming their foreheads together. 

“So you’re telling me that just because Lucy smelled weird you had to go and sniff her?!” 

“Yeah!” 

Before a fight can break out in their hotel room, Erza whacks both of them over the head with a pillow. “There will be no fighting you two! And Natsu, you shouldn’t be sniffing Lucy like that, no matter how weird she may smell! Do that in private!”

“Um, Erza? I think you’re missing the point…” Lucy interjects quietly with a raised hand. 

Chaos erupts in their hotel room shortly after that as Natsu suddenly starts an impromptu pillow fight, and Wendy and Lucy can only stand and watch it happen. Despite the chaos, Natsu keeps an eye on Lucy, and it seems he isn’t the only one. 

Carla is more subtle about it though. 

* * *

The following morning, the group gets up bright and early to begin a search. When Natsu wakes up, Lucy, Wendy, and Erza are already awake, talking. Gray is up too, and he’s already managed to lose his shirt. As Natsu joins the group discussion, Erza explains the plan to everyone. 

“While going for a walk this morning, I happened to walk by a library somewhere near the hotel. I asked around and apparently this town’s library has been around for centuries, and it has all kinds of books stored there.” The mage says. 

Lucy helpfully adds in, “If this lake is cursed, then there’s a chance this curse may be documented in one of the books there.” 

Erza hums and nods, “Which is why we’re going to investigate.” She says and immediately Natsu wants to groan. This job request has been nothing but boring so far. He just wants to find someone to fight already and get this over and done with! “I decided it’d be best to split up into groups again. A few of us will look into the library, while the rest go into town. If someone really has cursed this lake, then chances are they’re still here.” 

“Which means we gotta sniff them out, huh?” Gray looks up from the floor and over to Erza. For the duration of the conversation, he’s been leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. 

“Yes. Gray, Natsu, I’d like for the two of you to do some searching in town. Lucy, Wendy, and I will head to the library and search for information on the curse.” Erza says. "We'll all meet back up at the lake and go over any information." 

Natsu practically leaps for joy, “Alright! Finally, something exciting!” He cheers, a grin on his face. 

“Um, Erza?” Lucy cuts in, looking over at the woman. “Mind if I tag along with Natsu instead?” She inquires. Everyone looks over to the celestial mage with surprise— even _Natsu._ He can hardly believe it, hardly _understand_ it. Lucy is turning down going to a library to go search around town with him? 

Erza looks just as confused as Natsu feels, “Are you sure, Lucy?” She asks, as if to double check. 

“Definitely!” Lucy replies with a smile as she walks over to Natsu. He can only stare at her with a dumbfounded look as she hugs his arm. “I’d much rather go around town with Natsu than read through a ton of boring old books.” She declares, and had she not been holding his arm, Natsu absolutely would’ve fallen over in shock. 

The team stares at her, baffled by her statement. Staring at the two, Gray feels a phantom sensation of hands around his arm. He _swears_ he hears a whisper of _Gray-sama!_ in his ear. Wendy looks at her with concern, wondering if she’s come down with a sudden fever. Erza meanwhile, is left speechless at Lucy’s boldness, and scrambles for some sort of response. 

“Well then… if you’re sure, Lucy…” She says, still shocked by her friend’s declaration. 

“Yay!” Lucy cheers, turning to look at the still shocked Natsu with a giggle, “Isn't that great, Natsu?” 

“Uh… yeah, sure.” Natsu mindlessly replies. He’s still trying to wrap his head around what just transpired. Lucy smiles at him before tugging him along, telling the others they’d check the east side of town. The door clicks shut behind them, leaving the rest of the team in the hotel room. 

“What in the world was _that_?” Carla is the first to speak up, forcing everyone out of their stupor. 

“I dunno, but it seems like Lucy is finally making a move!” Happy laughs, causing Carla to sigh in exasperation. 

“Did Lucy-san seem… off to anyone else?” Wendy then asks. “You don’t think she came down with anything, do you?”

“Yeah, she came down with a case of love sickness!~” Happy laughs once again, making Carla whack him. 

“Now is not the time, Tomcat!” She scolds, sighing at him once more. “Something is going on with Lucy, this is hardly the time for joking!” 

“I’m not sure what’s going on with her, but that definitely wasn’t normal.” Erza says, putting a hand on her chin in thought. 

“There’s no way Lucy’d ever pass up the chance to read old books from an even older library to spend time with Flame Head. Something’s definitely going on.” Gray comments with a frown. 

“Lucy was acting normal yesterday. It wasn’t until this morning that her odd behavior began.” Erza surmised.

“Do you think something happened to her after we left?” Wendy questions, looking worried. She glances back at Carla, remembering how the Exceed had mentioned having a bad feeling about all this. Carla looks back at her, a frown on her and a worried look in her eyes. 

“Something must’ve. That’s the only time she was by herself.” Gray points out, glancing at her. 

Erza’s eyes flicker to the two Exceeds, “Happy, Carla, I want you two to keep an eye on Lucy and Natsu. Don’t let them spot you.” She says. 

“Aye Sir!” Happy exclaims as Carla nods. The two of them leave the hotel room through the window, wings appearing as they follow Lucy and Natsu. 

“As for us, Gray, I’d like for you to also keep an eye out for any vendors selling perfume. Lucy also mentioned getting sprayed by a perfume when she returned last night. That may be the cause for her strange behavior, so see if you can find out any information.” Erza explains, and Gray nods. 

“You can count on me.” 

With a smile, Erza turns to Wendy, “Which leaves the two of us to investigate that library.” 

Wendy looks back at her as she asks, “Shouldn’t we find a way to let Natsu-san know what’s going on?” 

Shaking her head, Erza hums, “I’m sure Natsu is already well aware.” 

* * *

Natsu makes his way through town, Lucy still clinging to his arm. He tries his best to observe the people around them, trying to keep an eye out for any suspicious persons. 

But with his partner hanging off his arm like this, it’s a bit harder to keep his focus. 

His mind keeps trailing back to Lucy and her odd behavior instead of focusing on the people walking out and about. There’s a feeling in his chest, a bad one. It’s been present ever since he left Lucy alone yesterday, and now it’s only increased. 

First there was that weird scent on Lucy last night, and then she passed up the chance to explore an old library! 

Natsu knows his partner, they’re best friends after all. He’s worked with Lucy for long enough that he knows her the best out of everyone in Fairy Tail, just like how she probably knows him the best by now. And Natsu knows that Lucy would _never_ pass up the chance to explore the library. She loves pursuing knowledge more than anything. She’d never find books “boring”. 

Natsu _also_ knows that she wouldn’t pass up the chance to explore such an old ground just to be around _him._ Not to mention, the task Erza gave him was to possibly confront the person responsible for cursing the lake, something Natsu knows Lucy doesn’t exactly like to do unless she’s forced to. 

Not to mention she’s being rather… clingy all of the sudden. Natsu can’t recall a time when she had ever been so clingy with him. He’s the one who initiates the physical touch between them the most. Lucy’s initiated their closeness a few times though, but her contact always came in the form of soft hugs and gentle touches to his arm. It’s never been anything like this. Something isn’t right. 

So what the hell is going on with his partner? 

“Natsu,” He’s forced out of his thoughts by Lucy’s tugs on his arm. Natsu looks over at her with a hum and she smiles, “Let’s go into that building over there!” 

“Huh?” Natsu questions as she points to a nearby building. He follows her finger and sees a small store. He looks back to her with a small frown, “We’re on a job right now, Luce. Erza asked us to keep an eye out for anyone suspicious.” He definitely does _not_ want to deal with Erza’s wrath if she finds out they were goofing around. 

At that, Natsu can’t help but think about the weird role reversal going on. After all, Lucy’s usually the one to keep him on track. “Besides, aren’t you the one always telling me to take our jobs seriously?” He teases. 

Feeling her stop walking, Natsu stops as well and glances back to his best friend. He sees Lucy frown and direct her gaze down to her feet. “I’m sorry, I just thought that we could spend some time together. I know Erza gave us a job and all, but I figured we could still look out for the curse user and have fun too…” Her voice is quiet and she sounds disappointed. 

Something in Natsu’s chest twists and he finds himself wanting to do anything to get that upset look off of Lucy’s face. He sighs softly as he glances back to the little store before looking back to Lucy. He cracks a small smile, “At least it has a big enough window.” 

When he sees Lucy’s smile, he decides that maybe incurring Erza’s wrath is a little worth it. 

* * *

With a gasp, Lucy shoots up. She looks around, trying to place her surroundings. Confused, she finds herself in her apartment of all places. “What the?” Lucy feels something soft beneath her palms and looks down only to see her pink comforter. “Why am I in my apartment of all places? We didn’t finish the job, did we?” She asks no one in particular as she stands up. 

As Lucy walks around her apartment, she tries to recall what she remembers. She walks over to her desk and pulls out her chair to sit down. Crossing her arms over her chest, she thinks. “We went to the lake after meeting with the client… and then we all split up and I stayed at the lake to investigate but I couldn’t find anything until—”

She cuts herself off with a gasp as she remembers meeting the water spirit and their fight. “I was pulled into the lake! So how’d I end up in my apartment?” Lucy asks no one in particular. 

“You’re in the mirror world.” A voice says, and the appearance of the voice has Lucy jumping out of her seat. 

“Who are you?! And what do you mean by mirror world?!” She exclaims, looking around for the person speaking to her. Within seconds, a person begins to take shape in front of her. The matter of their appearance reminds her of Juvia’s water magic. As the person fully takes shape, Lucy gasps, “Me?!” 

In front of her stands a second version of her. For a split second Lucy almost thinks it’s Gemini, but she quickly shakes the thought away as she feels no pull on her magic. 

Her double hums, “I’m a mirror version of you, a reflection, if you will.” She says. “As for your question, you are now a part of Lady Marina’s Lake of Reflections.” Lucy can’t help but shiver at how monotone her voice sounds. Her double’s face is completely blank, and her eyes are void of any life. They’re nothing but empty pools of brown, and Lucy can’t get a single read on her. 

Definitely creepy. 

Pushing the thoughts aside, Lucy focuses on gathering information for now, “Lake of Reflections?” She asks. Isn’t that… the name of the lake that they were investigating? _‘Don’t tell me… I’ve been pulled into the lake?!’_

“Yes, this is the home of Lady Marina. She has pulled you into the lake, and now you reside here, in a reflection of your memory.” Mirror Lucy explains. 

She feels a burst of panic at the explanation. “What?! I can’t stay here, I need to get back to my friends!” Lucy cries, looking at her rather apathetic mirror self. 

“Lady Marina already has that taken care of. You should consider yourself lucky, Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail. You are the first human that the Lady has deemed worthy to impersonate.” Mirror Lucy informs, and Lucy’s eyes widen. 

“She _what_ ?!” She exclaims, feeling more panic begin to creep up on her. If this Marina person really is impersonating her, then her friends are in serious danger! _‘But I’m stuck in here, I have no way of warning them!’_

Just as her thoughts are about to derail, Mirror Lucy raises a hand as a soft blu glow wraps around it. With elegance, she waves it, dragging it to the side. Lucy hears a noise behind her and she turns around to see a ripple effect reflecting on the glass of the window behind her. 

When the ripples stop, she blinks as she sees Natsu. Without thinking, Lucy runs right up to the glass and bangs her fists against it, “Natsu!” She calls, but it doesn’t seem like he hears her. 

_“Natsu, let’s go into that store over there!”_

Lucy hears herself exclaim, and she stares in confusion. It’s then that she sees herself practically wrapped around the dragon slayer’s arm. 

Lucy feels a twinge of irritation at the sight. The way her impersonator is practically shoving Natsu’s arm into her cleavage makes Lucy’s face turn bright red and her irritation only increases. 

_“We’re on a job right now, Luce. Erza asked us to keep an eye out for anyone suspicious. Besides, aren’t you the one always telling me to take our jobs seriously?”_

If the situation was different, Lucy probably would’ve laughed at the role reversal going on. But that isn’t Lucy out there, and her friends are in danger. 

Suddenly the field of view is changing as she gets a view of the ground and her shoes. _“I’m sorry, I just thought that we could spend some time together. I know Erza gave us a job and all, but I figured we could still look out for the curse user and have fun too…”_

_“At least it has a big enough window.”_

At that, she’s staring at Natsu’s face again and he’s smiling. Lucy feels a twinge of pain in her chest. “Natsu, please!” She calls out, slamming her hands against the window once more in hopes his sensitive ears will hear her. They always do after all. “That isn’t me! She’s an imposter! A fake!” She cries. 

“Yelling out to him won’t do you any good. He can’t hear you.” Her mirror self says as the image continues to move. Lucy pays it no mind as she turns back to face the other. 

“How is she doing this?!” She can’t help but ask. If she can get an explanation on the spirit’s magic, then maybe she can figure out a way to escape and get back to her friends. 

“It’s simple really. Because you are in the Lake of Reflections and you were pulled by the Lady’s magic, Lady Marina is able to use a Body Link spell with you.” Is the explanation, and Lucy’s eyes widen. 

Great, a Body Link spell? 

She needs to think of a way to escape, and fast. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaa thank you for the feedback from the previous chapter! I hope this one was as enjoyable as the first :D
> 
> catch me on twitter & tumblr @dreamsofmochi


	3. III

After being dragged around town for what feels like hours by Lucy, she and Natsu finally make their way to the lake. Who knew being dragged around to so many stores would be so tiring? Coincidentally, they meet up with Happy on the way there. Natsu gives Happy a tired grin as the Exceed walks beside him, greeting his friend cheerfully. “Hey, Happy! What’re you doing here?” 

“Erza had Carla and I look around too!” Happy replies with a happy tone. “Carla went ahead to talk to Erza, but I stayed back to meet up with you and Lucy!” 

Natsu and Lucy, along with Happy, arrive at the lake where they see Erza, Wendy, Gray, and Carla. Wendy and Carla look over at them as they approach, “It’s Natsu-san and Lucy-san!” Wendy calls with a smile. 

Erza and Gray turn their gazes over to them as Natsu’s group comes to a stop. “Took you long enough, Match Stick.” Gray comments, hands stuffed in his pockets. 

“Now that everyone’s here, let’s go over what we found.” Erza says, preventing Natsu from responding to Gray’s comments. He settles for glaring at him instead, and Gray responds to it with a glare of his own. “Gray, Natsu,” The two boys jump at the call of their names, fearing the worst. Erza glances at them before turning her attention to the blonde next to Natsu, “And Lucy, why don’t you three start? Did you find anything?” 

At Erza’s question, Natsu tries to recall if he saw anyone suspicious looking in between Lucy dragging him around. He doesn’t remember seeing anything weird, and he doesn’t remember sensing any magic signatures around beside him and Lucy. So he shakes his head in response. 

“Gray?” Erza prompts. 

Sighing, Gray shoved his hands into his pockets. “I didn’t see anything either, let alone sensed any magic around.” He answers. “What about you and Wendy? You guys find anything?” 

Wendy takes a step forward, “Well, I’m not exactly sure how helpful it’ll be, but we  _ did _ find a few legends about a water spirit living in this lake. A long time ago, the villagers would make sacrifices to the spirit to appease her. But that all stopped when the temple built for her was destroyed.” She explains. 

“And it seems the newer generations of the town have no idea of the spirit’s existence,” Erza easily continues, glancing back at the lake, “It could explain why we haven’t sensed anything from here or the town.” 

“So our kidnapper is some ancient water spirit?” Gray questions, trying to wrap his head around everything. 

“It’s certainly a possibility. And considering you three didn’t pick up on anything in the town, then it’s highly likely that this spirit is the one responsible.” Erza replies, frowning. “That being said, we should try and find a way to coax the spirit into making an appearance. From there we can try to bargain with her.” 

“I say we just pound her face in ‘til she gives back the missing people!” Natsu exclaims, hitting his fists together. 

“But… how would we even defeat her?” Wendy asks, concerned with the idea. 

“Dunno!” Natsu cheerfully replies, “But we’ll find a way!” He says, full of confidence as always. 

“I’m not sure you guys… the odds are definitely stacked against us here…” Lucy suddenly says, making everyone look over at her. She’s still standing beside Natsu, hanging off of his arm. Her gaze is pointed at the ground. “We don’t even know anything about this spirit. Maybe we should just call it quits and turn back.” 

Natsu stares at his partner with confusion. Lucy would never suggest just giving up like this, especially since she was the one to pick the job! “What are you talking about, Lucy?” He asks. “We can’t just give up!”

“I’m trying to be the voice of reason here, Natsu. Unless you want to die?” Lucy retorts, but she still doesn’t look up at him. 

Her response makes Natsu frown. “I dunno about you, but I think there’s a big difference between being the voice of reason and completely giving up.” He tells her. Natsu raises his arm, scratching the back of his head, “Geez, what’s with you today, Lucy? First you’re clinging to me all day, and then you’re trying to distract me from the mission, and now you’re telling us to give up? That isn’t like you and you know it.” He says. 

And finally, Lucy looks up at him. She releases his arm only to move to stand in front of him. “You really want to know why I’m acting like this, Natsu Dragneel?” She inquires.

Natsu can feel everyone’s eyes on him as he nods, “Duh.” 

Lucy places her arms around him, and she smiles. But there’s something off about it. Her smile doesn’t reach her eyes. It’s not all big and bright, and it doesn’t light up her face at all. It’s small and almost… flirty? There’s something else there, an emotion Natsu can’t quite read. Not to mention Lucy’s eyes hold none of their usual warmth in them. Instead, her gaze is calculating. 

Lucy presses against him as she stands on her tiptoes. She leans in close, “Because I, Lucy Heartfilia, am in love with you.” She practically purrs it, and Natsu’s eyes widen, stunned. He doesn’t acknowledge Wendy’s gasp or Erza’s sudden splutters. He definitely doesn’t pay attention to Gray and Happy’s sudden exclamation of “ _ huh _ ?!” or Carla’s disapproving mumbles about it not being the right time and or place. All he focuses on is Lucy and how close her lips are to his. 

And just as their lips are about to meet, Natsu catches a whiff of Lucy’s scent. He grabs her by the shoulders before pushing her back. Lucy looks at him with surprise, mouth open. “Natsu?” She asks quietly. 

Natsu simply glares at her, “You aren’t Lucy.” He declares, which seems to snap his teammates out of their stupor. Their gazes become serious as they fall on the girl in front of Natsu. “Lucy would  _ never _ do any of this. So what’d you do with her? You better start talking before I burn you to a crisp for pretending to be her.” He all but snarls. 

Lucy continues to stare at Natsu with wide eyes, “Natsu what are you talking about? I  _ am _ Lucy.” She says. A sad smile suddenly tugs at her lips, “You don’t have to pretend I’m some fake just because I said I’m in love with you…” 

“Shut up! Where’s the real Lucy?!” Natsu growls, angered. 

“I suggest you start talking. We don’t take kindly to one of our own being impersonated.” Gray comments, narrowing his eyes at her. 

Lucy gasps, as if surprised by Gray’s suspicion. She looks to Erza and Wendy for help but sees the two girls staring at her with harsh gazes. She even looks at Happy and Carla, but finds the same result. She hangs her head, bangs obscuring her eyes from everyone’s view. 

And suddenly she starts to laugh. Natsu glares daggers at her as her shoulders shake. “Ah, well, I suppose the jig is up. I would’ve thought for sure that it’d take you longer to figure me out.” When she looks up at Natsu and the others, she’s smiling. The smile looks wrong on Lucy’s face, it’s too smug and… evil. 

The sight of it sends a chill down Natsu’s spine. It looks out of place, and he has to resist the urge to go over to Lucy’s impersonator and squish her cheeks until she can’t make such a smile anymore. “Allow me to introduce myself, I am the water spirit of this lake, Marina.” She says, as the Lucy disguise melts away. 

In her place is a woman with silver hair and sharp, golden eyes. Her light blue kimono reveals her shoulders, arms crossed over her chest. 

“I take it you're responsible for the townspeople disappearing?” Erza questions, gazing hard at the woman. 

The spirit’s smile morphs into a smirk. “I must say, you Fairy Tail wizards are rather impressive. You’re all almost as entertaining as Blondie was.” She purrs, completely ignoring Erza’s question.

At the mention of ‘Blondie”, Natsu’s eyes widen as he imagines the implications of her utterance. “What’d you do to Lucy?!” He shouts, patience wearing thin. He tightly clenches his fists, hands shaking from the intensity of his emotions, “If you hurt her I’ll—”

“Relax, Lover Boy, she’s alive and well.” The spirit replies, the smirk still on her face. “Though, I have to ask, how did you all figure me out?” 

Angered by the lack of elaboration, Natsu grits out a reply, “You reek of the same funky scent of the lake over there. And everyone knows Lucy would never pass up the chance to explore an old library to do retcon with me.” He snorts, still glaring. 

“And that perfume stand you mentioned? I went and checked it out for myself.” Gray says with a proud smirk and narrowed eyes, “It doesn’t even exist.” 

Erza then takes a step forward, “Why were you impersonating Lucy? What’s your goal?” 

The spirit chuckles, “My my, you wizards sure are demanding.” A fan appears in her hand, and she brings it up to cover her mouth, “But if you really must know, I just  _ had _ to meet her guild mates. See, Blondie provided me with quite the entertainment, and I had to see for myself what you all were like.” She says. 

Erza narrows her eyes, “And now that you have?” 

Marina smiles and it’s nothing but sinister. “I’m going to bring all of you to my Lake of Reflections and make you my prisoners, just like her.” She says, and it sends a wave of anger through Natsu. 

“Like we’d let you do any of that!” He shouts before charging forward with a flaming fist. 

He doesn’t get very far though, for a stream of water engulfs him and he’s sent to the left, right into a tree. As soon as the water is gone he sits up, drenched. “What the hell?!” He cries, annoyed. He kicks up his flames, drying himself off. 

Natsu then jumps to his feet as Erza and Gray start attacking. Erza requips into her Sea Empress armor intending to slash at the spirit, while Gray uses his ice magic to create a cannon. 

“I’ll enchant everyone!” Wendy exclaims, before casting her defensive enchantment. She then joins the battle, with a cry of her dragon roar. Not wanting to be left out, Natsu joins Wendy, letting out a roar of his own. 

They attack simultaneously, knowing that Marina can’t evade all of their magic at once. 

To their surprise, a wall of water appears, blocking them. All except Erza. The mage easily breaks through the wall and slices her sword through the air. 

Marina catches it with her fan. She smiles at Erza before grabbing her arm and throwing her a few feet away. 

“Erza!” Gray cries out in alarm, but relaxes upon seeing Erza land on her feet. 

“I’m fine!” She calls in response. 

Growling, Natsu rushes in once more, “Fire Dragon Iron Fist!” He feels his fire wrap around his hand and he thrusts it forward. He blinks as water engulfs his fist. 

Marina giggles, “You silly boy. Don’t you know that fire is useless against water?” She hums, her voice full of mockery. 

Natsu narrows his eyes at her, “Yeah? Well you shouldn’t underestimate the anger of a Dragon Slayer.” He all but snarls, as the water around his fist begins to steam. He sees the spirit’s eyes widen in shock and he moves, fist ablaze. 

His punch lands, and he sends the woman staggering backwards. 

She quickly collects herself, glaring at Natsu. “You’ll pay for that, boy.” She threatens, before raising her fan. There’s an onslaught of water attacking him, sending him into tree after tree. He’s barely given a chance to breathe. 

“Natsu!” “Natsu-san!” 

He hears the familiar sounds of battle as Wendy and Gray try attacking the spirit. Erza, meanwhile, is coming after him. When she gets close enough, she uses her sword to block the water, giving Natsu a reprise. 

He slumps against the tree he was about to be slammed into, trying to catch his breath. 

“Gray, Wendy, move!” Erza commands as she moves her sword horizontally through the air. The two wizards leap out of the way as the requip mage uses her magic to create a whirlpool of water, sending it right to her opponent. 

With quick thinking, Gray freezes the ground beneath the spirit, trapping her. 

As Erza’s attack hits, the team takes a quick second to regroup. The whirlpool hits Marina, blocking her from their sight. “Did we get her?” Wendy questions, keeping her eyes on the spirit. 

“We should’ve.” Gray responds, watching the woman with narrowed eyes. “There’s no way she would’ve been able to dodge that.” 

Keeping his eyes trained on her, Natsu catches a scent lingering in the air. His eyes widen, “Lucy..?” He mumbles, perking up. 

But when they get a clear view of the water spirit, she’s taken minor damage. 

“What?!” Erza exclaims, in disbelief. 

“There’s no way..!” Wendy gasps, surprised. 

Seeing their surprised faces, Marina chuckles. “You can attack me all you want, wizards. But you’re only going to waste your power.” She raises her hand, showing the light blue line around her wrist. “As long as I have this Body Link spell, my power will just be replenished by your friend’s magic. You can’t defeat me.” She explains, sending a whole new burst of anger through Natsu. 

He clenched his fists tightly, to the point that he can feel them shaking. He glares daggers at the woman, feeling his temperature rise. Blinded by his anger and worry for Lucy, he launches forward, being pushed by the flames licking his heels. 

“Natsu!” Erza calls after him as he takes off. 

But Natsu ignores her. He lights his fist on fire, “Fire Dragon’s Crushing Fang!” And instead of clawing at Marina, he meets a wall of water. He curses, frustrated. 

Marina, however, seems to be enjoying how angry he is. “My my,” She purrs, holding her fan up to her mouth to cover her smile, “I didn’t realize you were so in love with Blondie.” 

Her words catch Natsu off guard, giving her an opening to toss him away. He catches himself before he can roll any further away from his friends, sitting up to glare at her.

The spirit chuckles, “Please do continue to provide me with entertainment, wizards~.” 

* * *

Ever since a window of the outside world had been shown to her, Lucy has been frantic. She doesn’t know what this water spirit wants, or if she plans to hurt her friends. 

Scratch that, the spirit probably plans to hurt them. Lucy has been on enough jobs and fought enough people that she knows how these things go. This train of thought only makes her more determined to escape. 

Her mirror image disappeared a few minutes after the viewing window did, leaving Lucy to call out for Natsu, for  _ anyone.  _

As of now, she’s sitting at her desk, trying to come up with a plan. She has her arms crossed, and she’s deep in thought. 

She looks down at her keys, wondering if she can still summon her spirits in this place. “Worth a shot.” She murmurs, standing from her chair. She grabs hold of Loke’s key, figuring he’d be the best spirit to start with. She holds his key out, “Open! Gate of the Lion, Leo!” She calls, feeling the familiar pull of her magic. A golden light surrounds her, and she smiles in victory. 

And then suddenly it stops. 

The light fades, as does Lucy’s magic. “What?!” She exclaims, surprised. “Maybe it was just a fluke…” The mage mumbles, eyes glancing around the room. There’s no one else here, as far as she knows. So how is her magic being cancelled like this? 

She decides to try again, raising Loke’s key. 

She gets the same result. 

Sighing, Lucy puts his key back with the others, and turns to inspect her room. Her eyes trail over to the window, and she smirks as she gets an idea. She walks over to her dresser, where she finds her hair spray bottle. “Man, I didn’t realize just how much of this place got copied. But it definitely works in my favor!” She grins. 

Grabbing the bottle, she walks back over to her window and with as much strength as possible, she throws the bottle at the glass. 

Only for it to bounce back.

“No!” Lucy cries. She had fully expected that to work! The can rolls by her foot and she picked it up, throwing it again. The can bounces once again. 

Frustrated, she grabs it, throwing it once more. 

The third time it happens, the glass changes. Lucy gasps, running over to it. She’s practically pressing her face against the glass, trying to figure out what’s going on. 

Her eyes process the images in front of her and her face turns bright red. She jumps back from the window as she sees the imposter pressing herself against  _ Natsu _ . 

_ “Because I, Lucy Heartfilia, am in love with you.”  _ She hears her voice purr and Lucy shrieks, mortified. That is  _ not _ how she wanted Natsu to find out! To make matters even worse, the fake is leaning in! 

But… it looks like Natsu is as well. 

Lucy can’t help but feel an ache in her chest. Does Natsu really not notice that Lucy is a fake? “Come on, Natsu…” She can’t help but mutter, willing her partner to do something.

_ “Natsu?”  _ She hears herself ask, and Lucy sees Natsu stopping the fake. 

She smiles. 

_ “You aren’t Lucy.”  _

“Yes!” Lucy can’t help but cheer, smile widening. He  _ did _ notice! Everyone did! She feels a bit silly for being so worried that no one would notice. But they did, and now Lucy can fully focus on finding a way out of this mirror place! 

She lets the conversation taking place outside fade to the background, a newfound determination beginning to take shape. She turns her back to the window, and puts a hand on her chin. “I’ve got to find a way out of here, and fast.” She murmurs, beginning to think. 

It doesn’t look like she can use her magic here, so she can’t call on any of her spirits or star dresses. And when she tried to break the window, nothing happened. Briefly, she considers just using her door to walk out of here, but she quickly discards the thought. 

Can’t use the door if it isn’t here. 

Her concentration is broken however, when she hears the sounds of fighting behind her. Lucy turns around to look at the window, eyes widening as she watches her friends fight. She sees Natsu get thrown into tree after tree, Erza helping him while Wendy and Gray keep the spirit occupied. 

She watches the window with rapt attention, afraid to take her eyes away for even a second. She wants nothing more than to be fighting at her friends sides, instead of being trapped in this copy of her apartment. But she can’t figure out a way to escape. 

She feels... useless. And she hates it. 

The sounds of gasps grab her attention and she focuses on the scene playing out before her. Erza uses her magic to attack, but it seems like it has no effect on Marina. 

_ “You can attack me all you want, wizards. But you’re only going to waste your power. As long as I have this Body Link spell, my power will just be replenished by your friend’s magic. You can’t defeat me.” _

Lucy’s eyes widen. Her magic is… fueling Marina’s thanks to the link? Before she can think about it any longer, she feels a familiar pull on her magic, and realizes it’s the Body Link. 

The battle in the outside world continues, and Lucy quickly realizes this can’t continue. At this rate, her friends are going to deplete their magic before they can defeat the spirit. 

There  _ has _ to be something that Lucy can do. 

She does her best to block out the sounds of her friends fighting while she runs over everything she knows about Body Link spells. 

Because of the spell, Marina can pull magic from her, which is how the spirit is refueling her magic. Lucy thinks back to when Laxus had tried to forcefully take the spot of guild master from Makarov. It seems like forever ago now. 

But he had used a Body Link spell back then with the Thunder Palace. 

Lucy’s eyes widen as she gets an idea. A very stupid, reckless idea. One that if she survives, her friends will most  _ definitely  _ chew her out for it. But she’s all out of options now. This may be her only chance to save herself and her friends. 

She looks around at her apartment, trying to find anything she can use for her plan. With her eyes so focused on different areas of her room, she accidentally bumps into her small dresser by a window, knocking one of her frames down.

As it falls to the floor it breaks, startling her. She gasps and bends down to pick up the shards. She isn’t careful enough though, and accidentally cuts her hand. Frowning at the cut, Lucy hurries to pick up the shards and places them on top of the dresser. She then grabs the frame and the picture, placing it next to the pile of glass. 

_ “We have an opening!”  _ She hears Erza shout and she looks over at the window, seeing Marina staring down at her hand with an odd expression. However the woman doesn’t focus on it for long as she’s forced back into the battle. 

Lucy finds it weird though. Marina had been looking at her right hand, which was the same hand that Lucy accidentally cut. 

Well, at least she knows her plan will work. 

Knowing this doesn’t make her feel better though, in fact, it only worries her more. It’s not a comforting thought at all, and Lucy frowns. She picks up a shard of glass with trembling hands, biting her lip. 

Maybe there is another way, maybe she doesn’t have to do this. 

But then she hears her friends screaming out Natsu’s name and she whips to the window. Marina is aiming an attack right at her partner, and with Natsu in danger, Lucy doesn’t hesitate to act. 

She takes the glass and aims it right for her stomach. 

* * *

Natsu keeps his arms raised, fully prepared for the spirit’s attack. However, just as her spell is about to reach him, it stops. Carefully, Natsu peeks over his arms as the water drops to the ground with a splash, wetting the ground below the team’s feet. The spirit in front of him has her eyes wide open in shock. “W-What… h-how did she…” She mutters, a hand falling to her stomach. “That fool really went that far… just to… stop me..?” 

Eyes falling to her stomach, Natsu stares in confusion. Her hands are holding her stomach, but there’s nothing there. She doesn’t look injured to him, unless maybe it’s internal? 

Something doesn’t feel right here.

Taking advantage of the lull of the battle, Erza is quick to act. “Gray, now!” She exclaims, and the ice make user charges forward, hand pressed to his palm. After casting his spell, he thrusts his palms out and ice forms around the stilled water spirit, trapping her arms and legs. 

Shaking his head to snap himself out of it, Natsu marches right up to the spirit, eyes narrowed. “It’s over. Give Lucy and the townspeople back.” He demands. Erza, Wendy, and Gray stand behind him, leveling her with hard stares of their own. 

However, instead of answering him, or even acknowledging him, Marina barks a laugh. “You’ve got guts… girl, but you’re… quite stupid…” She mumbles before her body begins to glow. Preparing for a possible attack, Natsu takes a step back, fists raised to defend as he’s forced to close his eyes due to the bright light. 

When the glow fades, Natsu opens one eye before he gasps and drops his arms. “Where’d she go?!” He exclaims, staring at the ice hold where the water spirit once stood. The only thing left of her is her fan, which is trapped in Gray’s ice still. 

Walking up to him, Wendy nervously looks at the ice, “What happened..?” She questions, eyes wide. “Did we… win?” 

“I believe so…” Erza answers, staring at the spot where the water spirit once stood. 

Before anyone can say or do anything else, the sounds of violent water catch their attention. The group runs over to the lake, watching as a giant whirlpool starts to violently spin. “What now?!” Gray exclaims, tired from their previous battle. 

“Get back!” Erza commands as she pushes everyone away from the edge of the lake. 

They just manage to avoid being hit by a large wave of water thanks to Erza’s quick thinking. They all stare in shock as shadows pass through the water before it pulls away, receding back into the lake. Wendy gasps, “It’s the missing people!” 

At that, Natsu’s eyes are automatically scanning the small group of people. He hopes that she’s there. His heart is beating loudly in his ears. He knows he won’t relax until he’s found her safe and sound. “Lucy!” He exclaims, running right over as soon as he spots her. 

Natsu drops down beside the blonde once he reaches her, not hesitating to pull her into his lap. He sighs in relief while holding her, grateful that she’s safe. 

That is… until he feels something wet on his skin. Heart thumping with an intense fear, he pulls his arm away to scrutinize it. And then his heart promptly plummets as soon as he sees the red liquid staining his skin. With a panic that’s alien to him, Natsu gathers Lucy in his arms and runs straight to Wendy, screaming her name, “WENDY!” 

The girl immediately turns around at the sound of her name, looking away from the person Erza has her checking over. She gasps as she sees Lucy in Natsu’s arms, her stomach bleeding. She stands up and runs over, meeting him halfway. As Natsu all but collapses in front of her, still cradling Lucy, “You gotta help her!” 

Quickly nodding, Wendy falls to her knees and immediately starts to cast her strongest healing spell. Erza and Gray approach them, eyes wide as soon as they see the state Lucy is in. Knowing better than to distract Wendy, Erza and Gray take it upon themselves to check over the rest of the missing people. 

The next half hour is tense as Erza and Gray try to distract themselves with the now found townspeople, directing them back to the town as soon as they wake up. 

Natsu refuses to let go of Lucy the entire time Wendy is casting her spell, terrified that if he lets go of her for a second, he’ll lose her. Eventually, Happy and Carla find their way over. Happy makes a home out of Natsu’s hair, staring at Lucy with a mix of concern and fear. Carla sits beside Wendy, worry written all over her face. 

And then finally, Wendy lets her arms drop to her sides as she relaxes. Beads of sweat roll down her forehead, and bits of her bangs are plastered to her forehead. Natsu looks at her eagerly, desperate for her verdict. 

It takes a few seconds for Wendy to give him a shaky smile, but to Natsu it feels like years. “I was able to heal a bit of the worst damage, but Lucy-san’s injury is pretty deep. We need to take her to an actual doctor for stitches.” She eventually says. 

Natsu doesn’t need to be told twice. 

* * *

When her eyes open, she’s greeted by the morning sun. She blinks slowly, looking around the room. Her senses come back to her one by one, and she feels her head resting on something soft. As her limbs become more awake, she feels them underneath a blanket, leading her to the realization that she’s in a bed. 

Her eyes sweep across the room that she’s in, finding it rather open safe for the table at her bedside. 

Slowly, Lucy goes to sit up, but stops as her stomach stings in protest. She immediately freezes, bringing a hand to rest on it. She feels bandages underneath her shirt, and she realizes that her clothes have been changed. Being more careful and moving slower, Lucy sits up. 

“Mm… Natsu… why is Lushee moving around so much?” A voice asks, and that’s when Lucy notices the blue ball in her lap. 

“Maybe she’s hungry…” She hears Natsu mumble in response, and she finds him with his head resting on his arms by her hip. His eyes are closed, and he looks like he’s sleeping. 

Lucy smiles softly at the sight, and she reaches over to gently brush her hand through his hair. Her action causes Natsu to scrunch his face up and Lucy can’t help but giggle.

“Natshuuu, she’s giggling…” A sleepy Happy mumbles, and that combined with Lucy’s ministrations in his hair forces Natsu to open his eyes. 

He sits up with a yawn and Lucy sees how tired he looks. It makes her worried about him. However, once his eyes land on her, any and all signs of exhaustion on his face disappears and he grins. “Lucy!” He exclaims happily, surprising Lucy by throwing his arms around her. 

Feeling her cheeks warm, Lucy can’t help but melt into his embrace. 

But then she feels him start to shake the slightest bit and she looks at him with confusion. She places her hand on his arm, touching it gently, “Natsu?” 

“I shouldn’t have left you alone,” He mumbles, and because Lucy is so close to him she can both hear and feel the vibrations in his chest. 

“It’s okay. Everything worked out in the end.” She replies softly. 

Natsu pulls back to stare at her fiercely, looking upset. “It’s not okay, Lucy! You got seriously hurt!” He exclaims, frowning. “You got hurt and I wasn’t there to protect you!” 

Lucy can’t help but raise a brow, “Protect me from what, myself?” She replies, and Natsu simply looks at her in confusion. She sighs softly, “The only way I was able to escape and protect you all was to injure myself so that it would stop Marina.” She explains. Natsu continues to stare at her, and Lucy lets out a nervous laugh as she looks away, “Looking back now it was a pretty reckless thing to do, huh?” 

“Lucy…” Natsu mumbles, making her freeze. 

“Ah, yeah?” 

“What the hell were you thinking?! Why would you do something so stupid?!” He cries, making Lucy look at him incredulously. 

“ _ Me _ ?! I think  _ you’re _ the last person who should be talking to me about doing stupid stuff!” Lucy can’t help but retort, frowning at him. 

“Yeah well it’s different when I do stupid stuff!” Natsu defends. 

“What?! How is it any different?!” Lucy cries, annoyed by his response. 

“Because I’m me, and you’re you!” Natsu tries to explain, but it only furthers Lucy’s irritation. 

She narrows her eyes at him, “So what?! If this is your way of saying you’re stronger than I am, you don’t need to sugarcoat it like that!” 

“That’s not what I’m trying to say, Luce!”

“Then what  _ are _ you trying to say Natsu?! Why is it that you can do something reckless, but it’s a problem when  _ I _ do?!” 

“Gah, it’s because I love you!” 

Lucy freezes. And she stares. And her entire face goes red. “Y-You what..?” She stammers. Did she hear him correctly? 

Realizing what he said, Natsu’s cheeks heat up. He sits back on the chair next to Lucy’s bed, dragging a hand through his hair. He furiously ruffles his bangs as he sighs. “That’s why you can’t do reckless stuff like that. Because if something happened to you, Lucy, I don’t know what I’d do with myself.” He admits, and Lucy stares at him. If it didn’t hurt so much to move then she absolutely would’ve smacked him. 

“Natsu… you idiot!” She exclaims after a beat. 

“Huh?! Why am I an idiot?!” He shouts, pouting. 

“Because that’s exactly how I feel when  _ you _ do something reckless! Because I love you too and you wouldn’t believe how worried you make me sometimes!” Lucy explains, ignoring how hot her face feels. 

Definitely  _ not _ how she imagined her confession going. 

“Wait really?” Natsu questions, staring at her with surprise. “Oh man, I thought that whole love thing was just some trick that water lady made up.” He says, which does nothing to help with Lucy’s embarrassment. 

She simply nods in response. 

Natsu blinks at her before grinning, “That’s great then!” He exclaims and Lucy resists the urge to face palm. Why oh why did she have to fall in love with a guy who knows next to nothing about romance? His face then softens as he looks at her, his eyes displaying nothing but desperation and despair. “Please Luce… you gotta stop scaring me like that.” He pleads, and Lucy feels an ache in her chest. 

She opens her arms, an invitation. Natsu doesn’t hesitate to accept, standing from his seat and he sits on the edge of her bed. He sinks into her embrace, snaking his arms around her, hugging her close as he rests his head in the crook of her neck. She threads her fingers through his hair. 

“I’m sorry Natsu, I didn’t mean to make you worry.” She mumbles softly. 

“‘s okay. It’s payback for all the times I worried you.” He replies, making Lucy crack a smile. “But it’s thanks to you that we were able to defeat her and get the missing townspeople back.” 

Lucy sighs softly in relief, “So you guys found everyone?” 

She feels him nod against her, “Yeah, they all came out of the lake after the water lady disappeared. Erza and Popsicle helped them get back to the town.” 

“Good, I’m glad.” She smiles softly. “Where is everyone, by the way?” 

“Probably at the hotel. A nurse kicked us out last night.” Natsu explains. Though he doesn’t explain why, Lucy can already imagine it’s because of how loud they got. She giggles to herself. 

“I take it you snuck back in?” She teases him, and she laughs when she feels him tense. 

“No…” 

“Aye, he definitely snuck out.” Happy suddenly chimes in, making Lucy look down at her lap. Happy is looking up at her, wide awake. “He looooves you~.” The cat teases.

“Shut up Happy.” Natsu grumbles from Lucy’s neck, making the girl laugh. 

“Aw, is someone embarrassed?” She teases with a smile. 

Natsu’s only response is his grumble and the tightening of his arms around her. He makes sure to be gentle though, not wanting to aggravate her injury. 

Happy and Lucy share a look, both smiling. 

And then the door to her room is being slammed open and a very angry Erza is standing in the door way. “Natsu!” She exclaims, making the dragon slayer in Lucy’s arms jump up and face the requip mage with a terrified look in his eyes. “I specifically told you not to bother Lucy while she was resting! And then I wake to find that you snuck out!”

Gray, Wendy, and Carla take the time to walk into the room, seeing Lucy awake. “Lucy-san! How are you feeling?” Wendy questions, walking over to her with a smile. 

“A little sore, but I’m alright.” Lucy replies, meeting Wendy’s smile. 

“You gave us quite the scare, Lucy.” Gray comments as his eyes trail over to Natsu, who’s being scolded by Erza. “He refused to leave your side.” 

“And now he’s being scolded for sneaking away.” Carla sighs, standing on Lucy’s bed with her arms crossed. 

Lucy quietly laughs, “I’m sorry for worrying everyone.” 

“I’m glad to see you’re awake and feeling better, Lucy.” Erza says as she walks over, dragging a tied up Natsu behind her. Lucy sweat drops at the tied up Salamander before smiling at Erza. 

“I’m just glad we were able to help everyone.” She replies. 

“Yes, it’s a relief that we could help the town.” Erza agrees, smiling. “However, I’m sorry we took so long to notice what was wrong.” She apologizes. 

Lucy immediately waves her apology away, “You don’t have to apologize! It was my fault for getting myself into that mess, but it all worked out in the end!” 

“Still, to make up for it, please feel free to strike me.” Erza says, bending forwards. 

Lucy shakes her head, wildly flailing her hands, “Really, Erza, it’s okay! I’m not going to strike you!” She exclaims.  _ ‘It’s been awhile since she’s done that.’  _ She thinks with a feeling of nostalgia. 

Nodding, Erza straightens, “Be sure to get plenty of rest, Lucy. We’ll be here for a few more days before heading back to Magnolia.” 

“Okay!” 

Shortly after that, her friends say goodbye, leaving Lucy in her room. She smiles and slowly lays back down, yawning. She watches the scenery outside the window, feeling calm and sleepy. With her thoughts trailing back to a certain pink haired dragon slayer, she drifts off to sleep. 

And if she’s woken up by the presence of someone wrapping their arms around her? Well she simply smiles and sinks into the comforting warmth before going back to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaand that's a wrap! a short ( ;;; ) lil case fic because I haven't seen many fics with team natsu going on a job and uh,,, this one really ran away from me 13k later ;;;; sobs, I took many creative liberties with the body link stuff and I hope the fight scenes weren't too horrible??? writing a fight scene with five characters is definitely a challenge omg, but I hope you all enjoyed the ending!! this was a lot of fun to write, especially the ending :3 
> 
> anyways, thank you so much for reading! <3 if you want to read more fairy tail things from me, I have an ongoing fic that's a dragon slayer lucy au (I promise she's not supper op like some people tend to make her ;;;) which you can read [here!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28265874/chapters/69267033)
> 
> catch me on twitter & tumblr @dreamsofmochi


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